Lovely Lady Nagant (IzukuxLadyNagant)

20: A Dance To Remember

'Do I look good?' Midoriya thought as he fastened his short tie onto his collar, patting and smoothing down any crinkles and creases that were on his dress wear. For their first day on I-Island he and the rest of the Nagant project didn't really do much in terms of seeing and exploring what the island had to offer, it mainly consisted of staying within the parameters of the hotel room and enjoying their sort of 'mini-vacation'. And was Midoriya complaining about it? No, not at all.

Because having the opportunity to sit back and know Nagant for what she liked and disliked was more enjoyable than say going out and exposing her to the civilian population where the risk of another mob forming was always present. Not saying he didn't enjoy the sights they came across earlier today no he'd never but, personal time in getting to know Kaina Tsutsumi was time perfectly spent without question. She liked strawberry cake, he preferred chocolate and over this subject they had a fun little quarrel about it. Her favorite animals were SPECIFICALLY bunnies and puppies as the grown and matured version of those animals tended to be more on the messy and chaotic side. She also stated that if given the ability to do so she would much rather consult to a group of children than adults. Her reason being that children were simple and knew what they wanted, in contrast to adults who mixed emotion with what they think is right or wrong.

The more he learned about Nagant the more Midoriya understands just how deep the pit was when it came to her, and he's not exaggerating when he states he can't see the bottom from where he stands. The damage of the Safety Commission has been more than done, and while there were no visible scars on her hands or skin he could still see it. The cracks were irreversible, he doesn't think any kind of care or healing will be able to undo what has been done. But by this point he's not sure if that's the right thing to do anymore.

At the beginning of this project he had an idea as to what he was tasked with doing. Perhaps he was supposed to mimic what Nagant represented when she was a hero, that joyous personality and bright smile that people came to know and love as The Lovely Lady Nagant. Maybe that's not how this should have been handled in the first place. Maybe the way he does things now was the optimal route for the Safety Commission to take, but they miscalculated the amount of change this first year was able to bring with him on levels they did not understand. What they wanted to achieve in the first place is something that could not, and they have only themselves to blame for that.

The young, positive and humble Lady Nagant that the world knew years ago? She's gone, she could never come back no matter how hard anybody tried, but that's okay. Because in her place grows something much more beautiful and striking, the butterfly rising out from the barrier of a cocoon.

Is Midoriya proud about the change that he's induced to Nagant? Yes, and no. Yes in that comparing now to the first time he met her she's so much more open and expressive with him. Granted she still has a cold, mysterious aura that she can shroud herself in at any given point but he feels happy in knowing she can be somewhat vulnerable around him. And the no part goes back to the very root of this entire project, the source for how and why he's able to do any of this in the first place. The Safety Commission. No doubt they too are witness to the change and what sort of plans they have in store for further phases of this project he didn't know. But he didn't need to in order for him not to like what they're plotting.

As always with Nagant, one question gets answered and another three pop up. And this is all without adding the very conflicting and quite possibly career-threatening metaphor of a cherry on top that are his feelings. He's not stupid, and he can no longer deny the feeling inside of him whenever he's around her. Throughout their entire moments of being in the pool that is a huge bathtub Midoriya couldn't stop smiling for even a second, and his face felt warm but it wasn't from the heat of the bath. It was her. She illicits something so pleasant inside he wishes he could feel it forever. But, of course, this sort of thing could never fly over considering what they are to each other.